• Orders such as removal of billboards, evacuation of weak buildings not being followed
• Despite closure of roads around seafront, residents making beeline for Seaview

KARACHI: Despite clear orders from the Sindh chief minister and other top officials and rains expected to hit coastal areas from today, measures to avert damage from the approaching Cyclone Biparjoy did not seem to be fully in place on Monday evening.

Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah had given orders to KMC, DMCs, and cantonment boards to immediately remove billboards, signboards, and other advertisement material on June 9, as well as ensuring the availability of dewatering pumps on all choking points to ensure smooth drainage of storm water. In addition, weak and vulnerable buildings, especially along the seafront, were to be evacuated.

However, it seemed as if the advice fell on deaf ears, as a Dawn visit to several areas within districts South and Central revealed that very few, if any, billboards had been removed or secured. In addition, dewatering pumps were conspicuous by their absence.

Over the weekend, DHA issued warnings to its residents, especially those living in phases 5, 6 and 8 that face the sea to remove all valuable items from their basements and ground floors, along with clearing loose objects from their rooftops to prevent them from being carried away by strong winds.

Many citizens, in fact, did not think the storm was a big deal.

There would definitely be a need for evacuation from the coastal areas of Karachi such as Ibrahim Hyderi, Rehri Goth, Lath Basti, Chashma Goth, etc. in case the cyclone hits the city.

But the open drains, dug up roads and choked nullahs paint a picture to the contrary, and there is also a feeling of disbelief and denial among the people of the city.

Very few people Dawn spoke to took the warnings very seriously, while some houses on Khayaban-i-Ittehad were observed installing new solar panels on their rooftops on Monday, despite the warnings.

On the seafront, the tell-tale signs of an approaching storm were there. The high tide on Monday seemed like it was rushing in faster and more ferociously than before. Section-144 was imposed on going to the beach or bathing in the sea, while Abdul Sattar Edhi Avenue has been cordoned off to prevent public access to the beach.

However, there were still those who were coming to check out the waves, wherever they could find vantage point.

“We came all the way from Gulshan to see what is going on here by the seaside,” said a young couple disembarking from a motorcycle. “It doesn’t look too impressive,” said the young lady, only to receive a splash of seawater to the face from a wave that crashed into the wall right beside her, which sent her shrieking.

Two men from DHA Vigilance on a motorcycle were sounding the siren for all the people watching the waves. “Stay away from the water please,” one of them warned.

“We are also going door-to-door to ask residents to be careful. We have also asked them to store food, water and medicines and keep torches and candles handy in case of a power outage when the storm hits,” he told Dawn.

When asked what if the dug up roads due to the DHA Storm Water Drainage Project would hold, the men just shrugged and got back on their motorcycle before zooming off to warn more people.

Many residents’ societies and groups on social media are also advising fellow residents to secure their entrances, especially their basement entrances, with sandbags along with cleaning their roof gutter pipes though no one in the area admits to have started doing the work as yet.

More advice included getting lots of food supplies, but grocery shops and superstores reported no panic buying, at least not yet.

Published in Dawn, June 13th, 2023